Monday, April 5, 2010

Random Ramblings from the Vault...

Picked up the amazing new Universal Monsters coffee-table book recently. Very impressed, starting with the bold decision to go with the Tom Tyler Mummy and John Carradine Dracula on the cover. Expect a full review when I finish the ponderous thing.

Speaking of, it was this book which just inspired me to watch Son of Dracula for the very first time. Have to say, it was super weird seeing Lon Chaney Jr. as the Count--even more weird than Bela Lugosi as the Monster in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man. Anyway, Son of Drac deserves far more credit and attention--an entertaining mix of classic horror and film noir!

Almost got the chance to see The Human Centipede at a sneak preview in NYC last week. Real bummed out that I missed out on that one, this looks like one seriously messed-up flick. I mean, the people who came up with the concept should probably be arrested, just to play it safe...

Is there anybody more dementedly fun to watch in a horror movie than Jim Siedow in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre? And has there ever been a better line than "Look what your brother did to the door!" I don't think so.

For those who may have been having trouble sleeping at night wondering where I stand on the issue of slashers, let me make it clear that you can count me among those who don't really have much use for 90% of that subgenre. Especially from the so-called "golden age" of the 1980s.

So have you heard that Godzilla is coming back in 2012? And I don't mean to fulfill the Mayan prophecy by helping to destroy the world. I mean an actual new Godzilla film. Unfortunately however, it won't be from Toho, but rather the Americans taking another crack at it. Some helpful hints: Nuclear fire breath, 400-feet-tall, classic roar. And tell Matthew Broderick to stay home this time.

I think the fact that Dennis Hopper starred in a George Romero zombie movie five years ago just passed across the radar with far too little geek awe. So I'm going to reiterate: Dennis Hopper starred in a George Romero zombie movie. And said the line, "Zombies, man... creep me out." The awesomeness of this needs to be recognized.

Watched Zombieland again. Starting to think Woody Harrelson may be immortal. I mean, wasn't he on Cheers, like, close to 30 years ago? The guy looks the same as he did in Natural Born Killers. Must be all the hemp exposure.

If my latest poll has told me anything, it's that not nearly enough people have partaken in the wonder of Sam Katzman's body of work. This must be remedied, people, get on it!

If you're a movie geek who likes more than just horror, I've been doing a series of posts over at Cinema Geek, a neat blog run by Nate Yapp of Classic-Horror. The series is called "52 Perfect Movies", and is a chronological look at films I personally find utterly flawless. Please check it out if you have a chance!

10 comments:

Aw B-Sol, really? Slashers are just dopey and a lot of fun. Its like a great escape after you've watched a particularly terrifying or gruesome movie in which you feel the need to wash your eyeballs with Listerine. I think horror needs the slasher subgenre. Its like comedic relief.

Yeesh, I am bummed to hear that your slasher love is so small. In fact, the growing attitude that slashers can't be smart or anything more than minimally entertaining, bums me out too. Come on, guys, give 'em a chance.

However, even I will admit that the majority of slasher films are bad, bad, bad. So you have to tread lightly.

Having said THAT, another Godzilla. Who is making it? Eh?

And dude, again, how did I keep missing awesome shit in my city (read: The Human Centipede screening)???

Let me elaborate a bit on the slasher thing (hmmm...future blog post?)--I think I'm actually more in agreement with you guys than you think.

James, I pretty am of the same opinion as you when it comes to slashers, but it bugs me when people make them the be-all and end-all of horror.

Case, the ones that are good are REALLY great. The original Halloween is all-time Top 10 material, the first F13 is highly entertaining, etc. But like you said, vast majority are bad, and in fact represent kind of a nadir for the genre in general. I'm not one of the fans that place them on the ultimate pedestal of adoration above all else in horror. I like to keep them in their place.

As for you not having your finger sufficiently on the pulse of horror goings-on in NYC, this is something that needs to be remedied post-haste. I'll just have to keep you in the loop :-)

B-Sol, what do you think of the previews for the new Nightmare on Elm Street? I never really cared for the series (I think my opinion of 80s slashers is much like yours), but this one looks kinda awesome, like Freddy isn't just going through his revenge motions but is totally relishing his killing spree.

NOES was always an exception for me, I always liked it. It was much more creative and interesting than most slashers, thanks to the supernatural stuff. I'm actually kind of intrigued by this remake, and looking forward to seeing it.

Which horror film *should* be remade?

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I've been fascinated with horror ever since my parents let me watch The Exorcist at 8 years old (what were they thinking??) and I ran up to my bed screaming when Linda Blair's eyes rolled into the back of her head.Although it often gets a bad rap from "mainstream" critics and audiences alike, horror has often been the most creative and vibrant movie genre of all, from Nosferatu to Saw. Some of the finest motion pictures ever made are part of the horror genre, including Frankenstein, Psycho, The Shining and my personal all-time favorite, George Romero's Dawn of the Dead.This blog is the culmination of my 25-year love affair with all things blood and guts--so check back here often for news and opinion on the world of horror. And remember...